A New Start
by anna371
Summary: This is a modern day story. Katniss is quite happy with her life in District 12, but when her mom tells her the family is moving to District 4, her life changes. Follow Katniss as she deals with drama, friendship, and LOTS of romance in her new High School. And what will happen when she meets a handsome guy named Peeta? Some mature content later on. Some language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! So this is my first fanfiction so I hope you enjoy!**

***Note* I do not own the Hunger Games. So, none of these characters are mine.**

Chapter 1

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Why is my alarm clock so loud? And why is it on when it is Saturday? I sigh. I drag myself out of bed and look into my mirror. My own reflection makes me jump. My hair is in a tangled mess and I have tremendous bags under my eyes. I grab my hair brush off of my dresser and start to brush the knots out of my brown, tangled hair. I quickly braid my hair to the side and smile at my reflection. "That's much better." I say to myself.

I open the door to my bedroom and walk down the stairs. The smell of bacon and eggs assault my nose. My stomach gurgles; I just realized that I am very hungry. I walk into my kitchen and I see my mother and my sister, Primrose. "Good morning, Katniss!" Prim exclaims. She has always been a morning person.

" Morning, little duck." I say sleepily as I smile at her. I stroke Prim's blonde hair as she looks up with me with her blue eyes. I look over at my mother.

"Hey, Mom." I say.

"Good morning, Katniss." She says. "Want some breakfast?" I nod. She serves me a plate of bacon and eggs. I sit at the table next to Prim and I eat my breakfast hungrily. A couple of minutes later, my mom joins us. As usual, I am the first one to finish. "Well, I guess I'm going to go back to my room then—" I start.

"Wait, Katniss!" my mom says. "Sit back down; I have something to tell you girls." I slowly sit back into my chair. What could she possible want? I'm so tired; I just want to go back to bed. My mind started going through all of the things she could possibly say. Was she going to tell me to clean my room? Maybe she decided to get rid of our horrible (yet loved by Prim) cat named Buttercup. Or maybe she wanted to tell me to clean up the table. I sigh.

"So, what is it?" I ask.

"Well, both of you girls know that I got laid off recently from my job at the hospital." She started. Prim and I both nodded in unison. My mom was a nurse the local hospital here in District 12. Just a month ago, she got laid off. She needed to find a job quickly, since we had no other forms of money coming into the household. My dad died 7 years ago in a mining accident. Maybe she found a job, which would be great news.

"Anyway," she continues, "I found a new job! It pays really well and we should be able to splurge a little bit more now!" Prim squealed and hugged my mom. She really wanted some sort of expensive doll, but we couldn't afford it. I'm sure that the doll is going through her mind right now.

"That's cool mom." I say. "Can I leave now?"

"Well, I'm not quite finished yet," she says. "The only downfall about my job is that we are going to have to move." She closes her eyes and sighs. Prim makes a weird noise in her throat. I am speechless. I have lived in District 12 all of my life! And now we have to pick up and move?

"Where are we moving to?" I say shakily.

"District 4." She says firmly. Prim starts to lose it. She sobs uncontrollably. She mumbles something about her friends and school and her teachers. I take Prim into my arms and stroke her head.

"It's okay, Prim. It will all be okay." I said. I have to hold back my tears. What about Gale, my best friend? What about all of the wonderful people I met and the school I go to? I sigh.

"Umm…" I start, "When are we leaving?"

"We have a week to get ready. I already started packing some of our things. I alerted your school about the move and I picked out a school for you to go to. It is actually a private school called Shore Bay High." Private school, I thought. Her new job will probably pay a lot of money. She starts to talk again. "So, as soon as you calm down and accept the news, I would like you girls to start getting packed. I have boxes in the basement for your clothes and belongings. I'm so sorry for the short notice, girls. I really didn't want to move but I couldn't pass up this great opportunity. And I'm sure our life will be much better in District 4."

She gets up from the table and kisses both of us on the forehead. Then, she leaves and goes up to her room. I am still holding Prim in my arms. I kiss her once on the top of her head. Well, I guess District 4 will bring a new start.

**Thanks for reading! Don't worry, the up-coming chapters will be MUCH longer so don't mind this short one. It's just an intro. Please review and tell me what you think! P.S. I think this story is going to be a long one!**


	2. Chapter 2

***Note* I do not own the Hunger Games.**

Chapter 2

Prim finally stopped crying. She looked up into my eyes and smiled weakly. "Do you think I will make friends in District 4?" she asks innocently.

"Of course, Prim." I say. "We both will. We just need to make the best of this situation." She nods. After a couple of minutes, she gets up and walks to her room. Hear shuffling coming from her room and I assume she already started to organize her things for the move. I put my head on our wooden kitchen table and think. The school year just started, so I guess I'm going to have to finish junior year in my new high school. I sigh. I feel myself dozing off when I hear a knock at the door. I jump up and run to open it. It's Gale.

"Hey Catnip! Wanna hang out?" he exclaims. He is smiling his usual, handsome smile. His grey eyes are twinkling; how is this boy always so cheery? I smile bleakly.

"Hey Gale." I say. Gale gives me a worried look. Gale can always sense when something is wrong with me. I guess we have been friends for so long that he knows everything about me.

"What's wrong?" Gale asks. How am I supposed to tell him I am moving to a place very far away and we won't see each other anymore? How am I supposed to explain that I will only see him for one more week before my mom drags our family off to District 4? I am usually not emotional, but I fall to my knees and put my face in my palms.

"Oh my gosh, Katniss!" he says. He bends down and takes me into his arms. I cry for a little while as he hugs me. When I finally calm down, I look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry." I croak.

"Tell me what's going on." He says firmly, yet sympathetically. I gulp.

"My mom just told me and Prim that we are moving to District 4," I say. I hide my face. "In a week." Gale stands up slowly. He runs his fingers through his brown hair, clearly speechless. We remain in shocked silence for a couple of minutes. Finally, Gale manages to speak.

"Why?" he whispers.

"My mom got a job that pays a lot. She told us that she couldn't pass up the opportunity." I say. Gale suddenly becomes furious.

"What about your school? What about your friends? What about your teachers? What about…us?" Gale shouts. Why is he acting like I chose to move? I didn't! And what does he mean by, "What about us?". I give him a confused look. This seems to calm him down. "Katniss," he starts, "I never told you this, but I really love you; more than a friend." I can feel myself blushing wildly. Gale loves me? Sure, he is handsome, smart, funny, and nice, but he's like a brother to me.

"I'm sorry Gale, but I love you like a brother; nothing more." I whisper. He looks at me with a hurt expression. I sigh.

"I thought you felt the same way…" he started to say. I look at him with an expression that says, "I'm so sorry." "Well," he begins angrily, "have fun in District 4, Katniss." He turns around and walks out the door.

"Gale! Wait!" I yell after him. I run out of the door and grab his shoulder. He aggressively shakes me off, gives me a dirty look, and walks away. I run back into my house, close the door, and sit on the floor. I start to cry again. Why am I suddenly so emotional? Prim runs downstairs and comes to comfort me. She strokes my hair for a few seconds and looks at me.

"I heard everything." She said. I nod. "It's okay. He'll get over it by tomorrow. Just try to talk to him in school." I nod again. I tell Prim that she can go back to what she was doing. She gives me one last pat on the head and runs upstairs to her room. I sigh. I go back into my room and lay face-first on my bed. I have a feeling this is going to be a long, sad, and stressful week.

_2 Days Later_

I wake up to piercing sound of my alarm clock. I sigh; school. This is my last week as well. I go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I walk back into my room, find a pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt, and slip them on. I brush my hair and carefully braid it to the side. I look in the mirror. I guess I look acceptable. I grab my backpack and jog downstairs. Prim and my mom were already there talking about the move. "- and the house is right alongside the beach. Oh hi, Katniss!" my mom says.

"Good morning mom and Prim." I grab a piece of bread off of the table and take a big bite. I looked at the clock. I was running late! "Gotta go!" I say with a full mouth as I run out of the door. I jog to school, making it there just on time. Good thing it was just a few minutes away from my house. I walk to my locker and I notice Gale standing there. Shit. He notices me walking over to him and smiles.

"Hi Katniss." He says. "Look, I'm really sorry about 2 days ago. I was really surprised by the news you told me and I just didn't know what to say or do. Plus, you didn't say you loved me back which just made me angrier. So, what I am trying to say is that I am really sorry and I hope you forgive me." He looks at me with hopeful eyes. I give him a hug.

"Gale, I understand your feelings so don't worry. I forgive you. Now, I gotta get to class." I say as I rush to my first period class.

"Thanks Katniss!" he calls after me. I run to my biology class and make it there with time to spare. I sighed in relief. I took out all of my books and prepared to learn

After school, Gale decided to walk me home. I told him about how my day was mostly filled with people asking questions about the move, sad goodbyes, and teachers giving me sympathetic looks. We got to my house and I asked him if he would like to come inside. He said he had somewhere to be, so he jogged home.

I looked around my living room and I saw a lot of boxes filled with books and picture frames. It was only Monday, and most of our belongings were packed up. This week was going to go faster than I had intended it to.

**Hey guys! I decided to write another chapter in the same day, haha. But anyway, please review! Things will get a lot more interesting soon. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

***Note* I do not own the Hunger Games.**

Chapter 3

This week flew by. And now, I am waking up on a Saturday morning. It is about 8:00 A.M. and I hear a knock at our door. I run down the stairs past my mom and my sister. I open the door and I see Gale standing in the doorway. "Hey." He says softly.

"Hey." I reply.

"I knew you were leaving early, so I came to say goodbye one final time." He says. He gives me a long hug. I feel tears coming to my eyes. "Remember to text me all of the time." He says softly.

"I will. I promise." I say. "And I will visit as many times as I can."

"Katniss, I'm sorry but we have to go soon." My mom says as she walks toward me and Gale. "Our train leaves at 9:30 and we still have some packing to do." I nod and sigh. Gale gives me one last hug and then walks out of the door. I shut the front door and wipe a tear from my face. I'm really going to miss Gale. I am deep in thought when Prim walks up to me and tugs on my shirt.

"Katniss? I can't fit all of my dolls in my box. Will you help me?" she asks sweetly. I not and proceed to help Prim finish packing. An hour later, we are done packing and we are driving to the train station. My mom explained that the house she bought already came furnished, so we won't need any of our furniture. She said she even hired a interior designer to add some special touches. We load all of our boxes in the luggage cart and go into our designated seating area. I close my eyes as I feel the train take off.

Five hours later, we are in District 4. I was sleeping the whole ride, so I didn't realize where we were until I felt Prim shaking my arm. I groggily wake up and I see Prim looking at me with wide eyes. "Katniss!" she squeals. "We're here! Isn't it beautiful?" I look out of the window and gasp. There is a beautiful blue sky and the sun is shining. In the distance, I can see a beautiful beach with white sand and crystal clear water. I see people walking around in shorts and tank tops. It must be hot outside. I nod to Prim as our mother leads us outside to get our things.

The first thing I notice when I step outside is the fresh, salty air. I smile. I can get used to this. My mom calls for a cab and it drives us to our new home. It takes about 10 minutes to get there. When I finally see the new house, I gasp. It is a beautiful sky-blue color with a white door. It is much bigger than my old house. My thoughts are interrupted by Prim's squeal of joy. "OH MY GOSH, KATNISS!" she screams. "IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL!"

All three of us walk inside and my jaw drops immediately. Our living room is huge, with high ceilings and beautiful furniture. Paintings of seashells and fish covered the wall. The living room led to the kitchen and our kitchen was huge. Prim ran upstairs to see her room. She squealed. I chuckled to myself and walked over to my mom. She was grinning with a look of satisfaction on her face. She could tell that we really loved the house. I gave her a hug and walked up the stairs to see my room. The first thing I noticed was that it said "Katniss- Keep Out" on the door. I smiled. My mother knew me so well.

I opened the door and my jaw dropped. My room was painted blue like the sea and there were more seashell paintings. My bed was huge and I had a desk to do work on. The thing I loved most was the huge bay window that overlooked the sea. I sat on the built-in seating attached to the window and looked out. It is beautiful. I really think I'm going to like it here. I decide that it would be a good idea to take a quick walk on the beach. I walk over to Prim's room and knock on the door. She opens it briskly with a huge smile on her face. "Wanna take a walk on the beach?" I ask.

"Sure!" she replies. We walk down the stairs and I see my mother unpacking the boxes. "Prim and I are going to take a quick walk on the beach." I say.

"Okay, but come back quickly. You have a lot of unpacking to do!" she says. Prim and I nod in unison and walk out of the back door to our backyard. We have a large yard to hang out in when we make new friends. On the far side of the yard, there is a little gate and pathway that leads to the beach. Prim and I walk on the path until we reach the beach. She runs toward the water and stops when she is standing in about a foot of water. She looks back at me and smiles. "It's so warm!" she exclaims. I walk up next to her and put my feet in as well. She's right, it is warm. We stay like this for a couple of minutes until I hear someone calling behind us. I turn around, and I see a tall guy with a surfboard.

"Hey!" he says as he runs over to us. I wave timidly and smile. This guy is gorgeous. He has beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes that reminded me of the sea. "Did you guys just move into that house over there?" he asks as he points at our new house.

"Yup." I reply.

"Cool! I live down the street from your house." He says. He then extends his arm. "I'm Peeta." I blush and shake his hand.

"My name is Katniss. And this is my sister Primrose." I say as I point to Prim.

"Cool." He says. He looks down at his surfboard and then back up at me. "Do you guys surf?"

"Oh, no. We come from District 12. Just a lot of woods and stuff." I say as I stroke the back of my neck nervously.

"Oh, well maybe I can teach you one day." He says with a smile that can light up a dark room. I blush and I nod. He was very forward.

"Well, I think I have to go back to the house now." I say. He frowns for a second and then he smiles again.

"Oh…well can I have your number?" he asks. I nod, pull out my phone, and we exchange numbers. Prim and I walk back to the house, waving at Peeta as we leave. I am still blushing. How can a person possess so much beauty? Prim notices me blushing and giggles. I give her a dirty look.

"Somebody's in _love_." She says in a sing-song voice. I give her a shove and she giggles even more.

"I do not like him, Prim. I don't even know him." I say as I roll my eyes. We walk into the house and greet my mom.

"How was your walk?" she asks.

"Really great. The beach was beautiful and we met a guy named Peeta." I reply, blushing slightly at the thought of Peeta.

"Katniss thinks Peeta is _cute_!" Prim sings. I give her the death glare and chase her up the stairs. She giggles all the way up the stairs, runs into her room, and slams the door. She is safe, for now. I walk into my room and see that my mom already brought up my boxes. I make a mental note to thank her later and begin to unpack. Thirty minutes later I hear my phone buzz. It's a text message from Peeta.

_(Peeta's messages are in bold)_

**Hey :)** I gasped. He texted me!

Hi.

**Sorry to bother you…idk if this is too soon to text you haha**.

No, it's fine.

**I was wondering what school you are going to, since school starts in a week. **

Oh it's called Shore Bay High I think…

**Really? That's where I go! I can show you around if you want ;) What grade are you in?**

That would be great. Oh and I'm gonna be a junior

**Me too! Anyway, do you wanna hang out tomorrow? I can show you around the town **

Sure

**How about I pick you up at 1:00? **

Sounds great

**Bye :)**

_(Conversation over)_

I am freaking out. What will I wear? Why does he want to see me? Not that I don't want to see him…but we just met! I decide to go to bed early; I think I have a big day ahead of me.

**Thanks for reading chapter 3! I hope you guys think things are getting a bit more interesting…since Peeta came in. PLEASEEEE review and tell me what you think :) **


	4. Chapter 4

***Note* I do not own the Hunger Games**

Chapter 4

I wake up at 11:00 in the morning and the sun is shining brightly through my window. I smile. District 4 is so beautiful. I get up and go to the bathroom. It had beautiful blue tile floors and green walls. The shower was large. I decide to take a long shower. While in the shower, I remembered that Peeta was going to pick me up at 1:00. I suddenly got butterflies in my stomach. I sighed. I'm usually not like this when it comes to guys, especially ones that I just met. Peeta just had an effect on me. His smile was so genuine and he just seems so nice. I frown. "Katniss, just get to know him first." I say to myself.

I step out of the shower and I am surprised to realize that 30 minutes went by. I go over to my closet and try to figure out what to wear. I don't have a lot of summer clothes; I'm going to have to go shopping. I put on a pair of denim shorts and a Maroon 5 t-shirt. I find my brush and then start to brush my hair. I intricately braid it to the side. I slip on a pair of black converse and decide that I look acceptable. I walk downstairs and meet my mom and Prim.

"Good morning Katniss!" Prim says with a mouthful of pancakes in her mouth. I chuckle and smile at her. I look at my mom and wave. She offers me some pancakes and I quickly take them. It takes me about 20 minutes to gobble up 4 pancakes and a tall glass of orange juice. Prim and I watch morning cartoons until I hear a knock at the door. I get up, make sure I look alright, and answer the door. Peeta smiles at me. He is wearing tan shorts and a blue t-shirt. "Hey." I say.

"Hey. You look nice. Ready to go?" he asks. I nod and blush. I wave goodbye to my mom. I look at Prim and she makes a heart shape with her hands. I roll my eyes and close the front door. I turn to Peeta.

"So, where are we going?" I ask.

"Well we can go to my place, meet some of my friends, and we can decide from there. Is that cool?" he replies. I nod. Wow, it's the second day I have been in District 4 and I am already making friends. On the walk to Peeta's house, he asks me some things about myself, like my hobbies and stuff. I tell him that I like to walk in the woods. I also tell him I like food, TV, swimming, and I don't like school. He tells me that he has been living in District 4 all of his life, he likes to bake, he likes to draw, and his favorite sports are football and surfing. He also adds that he does not like school as well. Finally, we get to his house.

His house is pretty much like my house. He opens the front door and I see 4 people. "Katniss, these are my friends Finnick, Annie, Johanna, and Cato." He says. I wave and smile at them and they do the same. Finnick is absolutely gorgeous…a bit too gorgeous for my taste. He has bronze skin and blonde hair. He has light green eyes and beautiful white teeth. He comes up to me and wraps his arm around my waist. I am too shocked to move.

"Hello, Katniss." He whispers in my ear. Peeta rolls his eyes and chuckles.

"Finnick, stop being a creep and touching other girls when you have your own girlfriend." Peeta says. Finnick pouts and walks back to Peeta's couch. A petite little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes comes up to me.

"Don't worry about it, Finnick is actually really cool once you get to know him. Hi, I'm Annie, blessed with the title of Finnick's girlfriend." She says. I say hi as she walks over to Finnick and sits on his lap. A buff blonde guy comes over to me and extends his hand.

"Hey," he says in a low voice. "I'm Cato." I shake his hand nervously. He is quite intimidating. The last girl in the room comes up to me and gives me a dirty look.

"Who invited you?" she asked.

"Peeta." I say adamantly. She looks over at Peeta and back at me.

"You dress and look like a boy." She says. I don't even know this girl and she is insulting me. I take a glance at what she looks like. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She is wearing short-shorts and a tube top. I also notice she has a belly button piercing.

"At least I am actually wearing clothes." I say with a smirk. Everyone starts "oooh"- ing. Johanna gives me a look like she's about to kill me. Then, she suddenly smiles. She looks at Peeta and then back at me.

"I like this kid." She says and shoves me on my shoulder. I smile. I guess she just needed to warm up to me. We all sit on the couch and talk about ourselves. I learn that Finnick and Annie are dating (I knew that already), Johanna is actually really nice and funny, Cato isn't as scary as he seems, Finnick is hilarious, and that Annie is really sweet. After about 30 minutes, Peeta stops the conversation.

"I'm starving." He says. Everyone else, including me, agrees. Finnick stands up and stretches.

"We should go and get something to eat." He says in the middle of a yawn.

"Let's take Katniss to Vinny's Pizza." Annie says. Everyone else nods and then looks at me.

"You have never had good pizza until you go to Vinny's." Cato says. Everyone starts to laugh.

"Let's go." Johanna says and walks toward the door. Everyone else follows. It takes about 15 minutes to walk to the pizza place. We all walk in and sit in a booth. Peeta squeezes next to me and makes me blush. I order a slice of pepperoni pizza and a coke. When it comes, everyone stares at me.

"What?" I ask.

"Try it!" they all say in unison. I shrug, take a bite, and my eyes go wide. This is the best pizza I have ever tasted. "This is delicious." I say with my mouth full. Everyone laughs and starts to eat their food. I learn that everyone at the table is going to go to Shore Bay High next Monday. It's good that I'm meeting people before I get to school. When we all finish, we go outside and walk around town. Finnick and Annie are hand-in-hand walking behind the rest of us. Peeta leans over and whispers in my ear.

"I hope you don't get grossed out by PDA. They do things even worse than that." He says. I chuckle.

"It's fine, they're cute." I say. He smiles and looks at me for a while. I glance over at him and…was he blushing? I smile like as we keep walking. We walk to a park and sit down on a bench. Somebody's phone starts to ring. It was Johanna's.

"Hello? Hey mom. But I'm hanging out with…why? Uggh fine." She says and hangs up. "I gotta go guys." She walks over to me and asks for my number. I give it to her and she waves goodbye to everyone and jogs home. After 10 minutes of silence, Finnick groans.

"This is boring. Let's go take a swim at the beach. It's only 4:00." He says and gets up.

"I don't have a bathing suit." I say.

"We all don't. Let's all go home, get our bathing suits, and meet up at the beach at around 4:20 ok?" Peeta says. We all agree. We walk back to our neighborhood and everyone goes home. I go into my house and run upstairs. No one is home; I guess Mom took Prim out shopping. I go into my room and grab my pink bikini. I put it on under my clothes, grab a towel, and put on flip flops. I run out of my front door and onto the beach. Everyone is there already. They set up a towel and they waved me over to them. We sit on the towel and chat for a few minutes. Suddenly, Finnick gets up and rips off his shirt.

"Well, I'm done talking. Let's swim!" he says while flexing his muscles. He has a six-pack and I can tell he likes to show it off. Annie starts to giggle and she stands up. She takes off her shirt and shorts and runs after Finnick. Cato follows, showing off his huge muscles. Peeta and I are still sitting on the towel.

"Wanna go?" he asks.

"Sure." I say. He stands up and slowly takes off his shirt. He has a six-pack and I can't help but stare. He is so toned. He notices me staring and starts to laugh. I blush wildly.

"No staring, Katniss." He jokes. I roll my eyes and stand up. I take off my shirt and my shorts. I look at him and now he is staring at me. I start to laugh.

"Then, you can stare at me, Peeta." I say and push him. He laughs and chases me into the water. We all splash around for a bit and we head back to the towel. We lay back and watch the sky. Before we know it, the stars are out and it's time to go home. Annie fell asleep, so Finnick says bye carries her to her house. Cato says he has to leave too and we say bye. Now, it is just me and Peeta. He decides to walk me home. When we reach my front door, we stand there awkwardly.

"I hope my friends didn't freak you out too much." He says while stroking his neck nervously. I laugh.

"No, they're great. Thanks for inviting me, Peeta." I say. He smiles and looks into my eyes. Suddenly, he starts to lean it. Did he want to kiss me? I just met him! I quickly open my door. "Umm see you around!" I say and slam the door. I was blushing like crazy. I hear something get kicked outside and I hear someone scream, "I'm an idiot". I sighed and walked up to my room. My mom and Prim weren't home yet. I took a quick shower and changed into my pajamas. I was lying on my bed when I heard my phone vibrate. It was a text from Peeta.

_(Peeta messages in bold)_

**Hey…sorry**

For what?

**You know…I was taking it too far. We just met and I was trying to kiss you**

Oh yeah…

**I just that I really like you. I know we just met and everything but…**

I know how you feel

**You like me too?**

Yea but I think we should take it slow…?

**Oh okay sure.**

Yea.

**Do u wanna hang out tomorrow again with my friends? There is a mall nearby and we should hang there**

Sure

**Okay I will pick u up at 2:00**

Ok bye

**Bye :)**

_(End of Conversation)_

So…Peeta liked me. That would explain all of his blushing. I'm not too sure if I like him yet, but I can definitely say that I think he is attractive and nice. I crawl under the sheets on my bed and drift off to sleep, thinking about what will happen tomorrow.

**Thanks for reading guys. PLEASE REVIEW! Tell me what you think :)**


	5. Chapter 5

***Note* I do not own the Hunger Games**

Chapter 5

I wake up at 8:00. Why am I up so early? I sigh and go downstairs. My mom is in scrubs and she is scarfing down a piece of toast. She looks at me and smiles; a piece of toast was hanging out of her mouth. I chuckle. She manages to chew her food and says, "Good morning Katniss. Today is my first day of work, so wish me luck! I will be home at about 7:00." I nod. She was about to walk out of the front door and she stopped. "Oh! I forgot to tell you. Prim and I got a car yesterday! It's used and kind of old….but it will do for now." She beckons me over to our garage and shows me the car. It is a blue Toyota from "back in the day". It's kind of nice. She hops in the car and waves goodbye.

I walk into the living room and watch some TV. In an hour, Prim comes downstairs with sleepy eyes. "Morning Katniss." She says while yawning.

"Good morning, little duck." I say as I walk over and give her a hug. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Sure." She says. I walk over to the fridge and open it. Prim and Mom must have gone shopping because it is filled with all kinds of groceries. I pour her a bowl of cereal and one for myself. We sit at the table and begin to eat.

"Oh, yesterday while I was in town with mom, we went to the movies." She says.

"That's cool." I say back.

"I met a girl named Rue who lives in our neighborhood. I'm going to hang out with her at 12:00 today. Mom said it was okay."

"Okay but be careful." She finishes eating and puts her plate away.

"I'm going to take a shower and stuff." She says as she walks up the stairs. I decide that I should too. I walk into my bathroom and get into the shower. I finish, brush my teeth, and walk to my closet. I stare at my clothes. Well, since I'm going to the mall today, I think I should bring money to invest in some new clothes. I decide to wear a plain black tank top and a pair of denim shorts. I put on some yellow flip flops and head downstairs. It is 11:55 when I hear a knock at the door. I go to get the door. I open it and I see an adorable girl with dark skin and big brown eyes looking up at me.

"Um…hi. I'm Rue, Prim's friend." She says shyly.

"Hey, come in." I open the door and let her in. Prim comes running down the stairs and greets the girl. They start chatting and go up to Prim's room. "Prim, I'm going out later so be good." I call after her.

"Yeah, I will!" she says.

I sit on the couch and watch TV until I hear another knock on my door. I open it and Peeta is standing right in front of me. He smiles shyly.

"Hey." He says. "You ready? We're going to the mall so bring some money if you wanna buy clothes or something." I nod and run to my room. I shove some money from my savings in my pocket and run back down stairs.

"Ready." I say. He walks me to his car. It is a red corvette. I gasp. He must be rich. He opens the door for me and I climb in. He starts the car and we pull out of his driveway. The car ride was awkwardly silent for most of the time. Peeta finally says, "So, you wanna take it slow, right?"

"Umm, yeah." I reply.

"That's cool." He says in a somewhat-sad voice. We finally pull up at the mall. We find Cato, Finnick, Annie, and Johanna waiting for us there. We all walk inside together and we talk. Suddenly, Johanna and Annie pull me into a store. The boys reluctantly follow.

"We need to change your wardrobe, girl." Johanna says as she grabs some skimpy clothing off the racks. Annie nods in agreement. The grab about ten articles of clothing and shove me into the changing room. The first outfit I try on is a red mini-skirt with sequins and a tight fitting, black, one-shoulder blouse with ruffles coming down from the top. I gasp. Yes, this outfit does flatter my figure but it is too revealing for my taste. I walk out of the changing room to show the girls anyway. I totally forgot that the boys were there. As I walked out, Finnick whistled, Cato pretended to be texting someone, and Peeta was blushing. He was staring at my boobs! I blushed and grabbed Johanna.

"Make them leave! I don't want them to see me like this!" I whispered. She sighed.

"Sorry guys, show's over." She said as she pushed them toward the front of the store. "Go to…I don't know, Game Stop or something." The guys left and I sighed in relief. Johanna and Annie forced me to try on a thousand more outfits and forced me to buy the majority of them. As we walked out of the store, Johanna and Annie started to question me.

"So what do you think of Peeta?" Annie asked with a mischievous smirk on her face. I nearly tripped.

"Oh, he's nice." I say casually.

"Yeah, he's _real_ nice." Johanna says. What was that supposed to mean?

"Huh?" I ask.

"C'mon we both know you like him." Annie said as she rolled her eyes. I felt myself blushing.

"You think he's hot!" Johanna said as she shoved me. In the distance I saw Cato, Finnick, and Peeta walking towards us.

"Hey guys." Peeta said. Annie and Johanna started laughing hysterically. I slapped myself on my forehead. Peeta gave me a weird look. He was about to say something when Finnick interrupted him.

"Let's get something to eat." He said. We all nodded and walked to the food court. Annie and Johanna ran off to get something at Wendy's. Cato went to some Japanese place and Finnick went to McDonalds. Peeta and I decided to get Subway. I was about to buy my sandwich when Peeta stopped me.

"I got it." He said as he pulled out his wallet. I shook my head.

"No, I'm fine." I say.

"No, take this as an 'I'm sorry' gift, I guess. For last night."

"It's really okay, Peeta. It's wasn't a big deal."

"I seriously crossed the line. I just don't want you to think I'm a creep."

"I can never think that, Peeta." We looked into each other's eyes for a moment. After a little while, the cashier coughed loudly.

"Can you lovebirds pay already?" She asked. Peeta quickly handed her the money and she took it. I sighed and thanked him. We walked back to the table to meet Johanna, Annie, and everyone else. We ate and talked for a while. Before we knew it, it was really late. Annie and Finnick left hand in hand. Johanna's mom picked her up and Cato drove home. Peeta and I walked to his car. He opened the door to the passenger side for me. I hopped in and he got in too. The ride was silent again.

"Let's go to the beach." He blurted out.

"Oh, okay." I got out my phone and texted my mom saying that I was going to the beach. She replied with, "Alright be safe". We pulled up to the beach and we got out. The beach was beautiful at night. We walked alongside the waves that silently crashed against the sand. He walked a slight distance away from me with his hands in his pockets. I decided to break the silence.

"So, why did you bring me here?" I asked.

"I just want to show you something." He says. We walked for a little while longer until we reached some huge rocks. Peeta started to run toward them and I followed him. He started to climb the rocks. I looked up at him. He gave me his hand and pulled me up. It was surprisingly flat on top. I gasped as I looked at the view. I could see the whole town from here. I turned around and looked out into the ocean. The waves were so calm and beautiful. The stars were so bright. I sat down.

"Peeta, this is beautiful." I said. He smiled.

"I knew you would like it." He said. "I usually come here when I need to clear my head." We sat there speechless for a while. Finally, I said something.

"I have to go, Peeta." I whispered. He nodded and helped me get off of the rock. We walked back to his car and he drove me home. I grabbed my shopping bags and walked back to my house. Peeta was right behind me.

"Thanks for everything, Peeta." I said.

"You're welcome." He said with his beautiful smile. I couldn't resist myself. This time, I was the one who leaned in. Out lips touched, and it was like electricity. After a couple of seconds, I felt his tongue on the bottom of my lip, begging to enter. I allowed it. Our tongues wrestled for a while until I finally pulled away. He looked down on me, wide-eyed.

"Good night, Peeta." I said. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked into my house. Well, so much for taking it slow.

**Hey guys. Sorry for the long wait. I was so busy with school and stuff. But now it's spring break so I have a lot of time to write. I hope you guys liked this chapter. REVIEW PLEASE!**


	6. Chapter 6

**It's been a while…SORRY I BLAME SCHOOL FOR MY LACK OF TIME AND THE BAGS UNDER MY EYES!**

**Anyway, SORRY and I hope you enjoy this **

***Note* I do not own the Hunger Games**

Chapter 6

I looked around my living room and I saw my mom on the couch. "Hey, Mom. I— " I started.

"I saw that Katniss." She said seriously. What did she mean?

"What?" I asked.

"You kissing that boy." Ohh. She was talking about my kiss with Peeta. I smile just thinking about him.

"Oh, that."

"Katniss, I know you are16 and you think you are grown up but you cannot go around kissing boys that you just met!"

"Mom, are you serious? It's not like he's just some random guy. I'm getting to know him and I really like him. Trust me for once!" I stormed up to my room and slammed the door. I sighed. Why didn't my mom trust me? She has no right to question what I do. She's lucky I'm even talking to her…

FLASHBACK

_(Katniss and Prim sit in a living room watching cartoons from a small tv)_

_Katniss-Mom, the phone is ringing!_

_(Mom picks up the phone)_

_Mom- Yes, yes. What? _

_(Mom drops the phone) _

_Katniss- Are you okay mom?_

_Prim-Mama?_

_(Mom walks out of the door)_

_(Katniss runs to the door)_

_Katniss- Mom!_

_FLASHBACK OVER_

I shudder as I remember this. This was from when my mother learned that my father died. She left for 3 days. I had to take care of Prim and myself, which was very hard for a little pre-teen. Even when she came back, she wasn't really "there". She never talked to us or did anything for us. I just recently started talking to her again. I start to cry. I desperately need someone to talk to right now. Prim is sleeping and I don't want to wake her up.

I grab my phone and call Peeta automatically. The phone rings a couple of times and he finally picks up.

"Hello?" he says. I started to sob uncontrollably on the phone. "Katniss! What's wrong? Please tell me."

I told Peeta everything; about the flashback, the fight with my mom, and about my dad.

"Please don't cry, Katniss." He whispered. "I know I'm not much comfort over the phone but…don't think about sad things." He managed to calm be down a little bit. I thanked him and said bye. I looked over at my alarm clock. It was 10:30. I put on my pajamas and went to bed.

About 3 hours later, I woke up. I lay in bed, tossing and turning, trying to get back to sleep. However, I cannot. I decide to text Peeta.

(Peeta messages in bold)

Hey, I can't sleep. I hope I'm not waking you up.

**It's fine. Anything for you**

Thanks for comforting me before…

**No problem. Anytime**

So anyway..do you wanna meet up tomorrow?

**Sure of course. Maybe we can go…by ourselves?**

Like…a date?

**If you wanna call it that ;)**

Haha sure.

**So I'll pick you up at 1?**

Can't wait :)

I put my phone back on my nightstand and smiled. Peeta is so great. I can't wait to see him tomorrow. Somehow, I managed to go back to sleep.

I woke up at 11:00. I yawned and smiled. I was really well rested. I went to my bathroom and took a long shower. I got out and looked in the mirror. I braided my hair in a complex braid to the side. I got out of my bathroom and started to decide what to wear. I picked a pair of acid washed shorts and a plain black tank top that I got from the store when I went shopping. I slipped on a pair of black flip flops and went downstairs.

My sister and my mom were talking about school starting. My sister turned around and looked at me.

"Morning, Katniss!" she chirped. I went over to her and kissed her head.

"Morning, Little Duck." I said. I looked over at my mom. Our eyes met and she smiled weakly. I ignored her and walked to the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and poured myself a glass of orange juice. Then, I walked to my family room and started to watch TV. Soon, I heard the doorbell ring. I ran over to open it. Peeta was standing in the doorway, smiling. I smiled back.

"Hello gorgeous." He murmured. I smiled.

"Hey." I replied. I turned around to face my sister and mom. "I'm going out for a while, bye." Before anyone could object, I was out the door. I got to Peeta's corvette and got in the passenger seat. He got in as well. He started the car and pulled out of my driveway.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

"I was thinking a movie? We can grab some food after and then go to the beach." He replied.

"Cool. I wanna see that movie about that girl whose husband leaves for war…" I said.

Peeta and I talked in the car about random stuff until we reached the movie theater. The movie turned out to be really boring and sappy so we leave in the middle of it. We go to a nearby restaurant. A waiter comes and takes our order.

"I would like the bacon cheeseburger with fries and a coke." I say. Peeta chuckles.

"What?" I ask.

"You eat like a dude. That's exactly what I was gonna get." I scowl at him and that makes him laugh even more. He turns back to the waiter. "I'll have the same thing." The waiter nods and walks away. After 20 minutes, our food comes. We eat while making small talk and before we know it, we're finished.

"Ready for the beach?" I ask.

"Yup." He says. He pays the waiter and we walk out. His hand manages to find its way around my waist. I blush and that makes him smile. He leans in and whispers in my ear. "You're gonna have to get used to that." This makes me blush even more. How is this guy so charming?

We finally find ourselves at the beach.

"Oh, we forgot our bathing suits. Do you wanna run back and get them?" Peeta asked.

"Nah let's just run in." I yell as I run towards the water. The water splashes my clothes and the wet fabric feels surprisingly soothing and cool against my skin. I feel Peeta's hands wrap around my waist.

"You're so beautiful." He says against my neck. I feel him kissing the back of my neck. I turn around as he makes his way up my ear, nibbling on my earlobe. I let out a small moan as I feel Peeta smiling against my neck. I feel Peeta's hand slowly creep down toward my ass when I hear someone scream my name.

"KATNISS EVERDEEN, YOU COME HERE RIGHT NOW." I look over to see my angry mother standing near the gate to my back yard. Shit. I didn't realize we were this close to my house. My thoughts were interrupted by more shouting. "TELL THAT BOY TO GET HIS HANDS OFF OF YOU AND COME INSIDE. NOW."

"Sorry, Peeta." I say.

"It's fine" He says as he gives me a disappointed smile. I quickly peck him on the lips and run back to my gate. My mom gives me the death glare as I walk into my backyard. And with that, my hell begins.

**Hoped you enjoyed! FINGERS CROSSED I GET TO UPDATE SOON! **

**PLEASE REVIEW GUYS! **


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